Deleted Scenes
by thunderyoshi
Summary: Being a Ranger isn't all about fighting bad guys. There are other problems to face, including each other. A look into Ari's life as she experiences being a Ranger more times than most. Various pairings, different thoughts, heart-to-hearts and flashbacks.
1. Respect

**Welcome to these little side-stories involving Ari and those in her world! These are all going to be little one-shots and drabbles and stuff that I've wanted to involve in the series, but haven't found places for them within the actual stories.**

**The first three will be about Ninja Storm: Power of the Sun, and unless I come with more ideas as time progresses, they'll be in a linear order of the series, so I hope you enjoy!**

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**When working while Kelly is out of town, Dustin and Ari have a heart-to-heart about their places on the team, and why they both deserve to be there.**

**Set just after Thunder Strangers.**

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Respect

Yelping as she bumped her bruised side against a rack of kneepads, Ari tripped over her own feet and went down hard. The large box in her hands went flying, skidding across the room before bursting open, causing gloves to go flying across Storm Chargers.

"Whoa, dude, you ok?" Dustin rushed over to Ari, dropping the helmet in his hands to help her up.

"Just emphasising how lame I am," the Gold Ranger muttered as she forced tears back.

"You should be resting, it's only been a couple of days," Dustin told her, referring to the fiasco in the Cavern of Lost Souls. He helped her up, and went to clear up the gloves as Ari rubbed her side.

"I can't leave you to deal with this place on your own," she sighed, lifting the box and holding it so he could dump the gloves back in it. "It's my own fault I'm all bruised and stuff, I can handle this place," Ari smiled weakly.

"What are you talking about?" Dustin frowned at her as he dumped the gloves in it and took the box from her. "What happened wasn't your fault," he told her, and Ari shrugged as she walked past him.

"I should have had my morpher on me. I should have fought better. I should have -"

"Ari," Dustin caught her wrist and stopped her. "Those guys were way stronger than any of us, and you stood up to them!" he pulled her down to the seats, and sat down beside her. Ari just looked down at her hands, still feeling guilty. She had been next to useless for the last few battles, between taking a hit that had injured her ribs, leaving her morpher with Cam which left her powerless, and what had happened in the Cavern of Lost Souls, she had done little to stop the Thunder Rangers.

"Maybe Shane's right. Maybe I am in over my head," she mumbled.

"No way," surprised at how confident Dustin sounded, Ari looked up with wide eyes. "Ok, maybe at first I thought so too, mostly cause you look about 12," Ari went red as Dustin chuckled. "But dude, you saved me from a world of hurt when you stood up to Hunter. You're a way better fighter than I am. You totally deserve to be here. Plus you're way smart, almost Cam smart!" he insisted, and Ari couldn't help but laugh.

"No-one's as smart as Cam," Ari stated, and Dustin nodded in agreement. "But thanks Dustin," she smiled softly at the Yellow Ranger, who ruffled her hair, making her laugh. "But you're a great fighter too you know," she told him, taking him by surprise this time.

"Yeah," his laugh was a little self-mocking. "That's why I got my butt handed to me like a million times by Hunter and Blake," Dustin muttered.

"Hey, if I'm not allowed to be self-detrimental, then you aren't either," Ari told him firmly, poking his arm as she looked serious.

"Self what?" Dustin looked blank.

"You're not allowed to insult yourself," Ari told him, and a small smile tugged at her lips for having to explain it.

"See? You're way smarter than me!" Dustin exclaimed.

"So? You don't need smarts to be a Ranger!" Ari threw her hands in the air, shaking her head. "You're a great Ranger Dustin, you've saved our butts loads, remember that stupid mole thing?" she reminded him. "Being a Ranger isn't about being smart or the best fighter. It's about fighting for what's right, protecting this city, and working to save the Ninjas up there," she pointed up. "And you've got a good heart Dustin, you see the good in everyone. If I deserve a place on this team, then you definitely do," Ari told him confidently.

"You know," Dustin commented as he looked up at the ceiling. "You're pretty funny when you try to be all serious," Ari frowned, going red as the Earth Ninja grinned at her. "Like, Tori gets real scary, and Shane's just annoying, but you're kinda like...a puppy trying to intimidate a way bigger dog," Ari's blush grew at his description.

"What about you? You're way less serious than me!" she pouted at him.

"Hey, I could totally be serious!" Dustin insisted, and a moment of silence passed, before both burst out laughing. "Ok, ok, maybe not," he laughed as Ari fell back on the seats, holding her stomach.

"It hurts to laugh," Ari moaned amidst her laughter, which only served to make them both laugh even harder.

"Uh, excuse me," their laughter quietened to giggles as they looked up to see a young man. "Can I get some help here?" he asked.

"Oh, sure, sorry dude," Dustin jumped up and followed him to the counter. As he stood behind it and caught Ari's eye, he flashed her a bright smile, and she grinned back. Now feeling better about her place on the team, Ari got up, ignoring the pain in her stomach as she got back to work, determined to prove that she was as rightful a member on the team as the rest of the Rangers.

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**The length of each of these will be different – probably a bit longer than this one and possibly the next one.**

**I hope you enjoyed it anyways!**

**Please review!**


	2. Not So Blind

**So I'm back from Tunisia with a sprained ankle, yay me. Though I did finally manage to finish this one shot, between catching up with SAO and Sailor Moon and many Let's Plays.**

**I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!**

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**Kelly's not stupid, or blind. She knows exactly who her employees are, even if it's not quite so obvious to the rest of the world.**

**Set after General Deception.**

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Not So Blind

Kelly was not stupid, and she most definitely was not blind. The longer the Ninja Storm Rangers remained in Blue Bay Harbour, the more obvious it became to her.

First it was her only employee and his two best friends. They were always running late for some sort of class, but when Kelly asked about it, they would dodge her questions. At first, she didn't really believe it. The idea that clumsy, goofy Dustin Brookes and the hot-headed Shane Clarke were _Power Rangers_, was too unbelievable. Tori as the elegant Blue Ranger was a little more believable, even if she did have a bit of a temper.

She watched as her now much larger group of employees worked steadily, joking with each other and laughing. Kelly wondered just how long this would last before a strange beeping would echo around the shop, and they'd all rush out, claiming to be going on yet another break.

Around the time that the Power Rangers first appeared, the three were constantly tired and covered in bruises. All three claimed their new injuries were from their chosen sports, which did make sense, but it didn't explain why Kelly found Dustin sleeping in the back instead of repairing bikes several times.

Then the mysterious Gold Ranger appeared, and at the same time, Ari arrived in town. The 15 year old was clumsy and a little nervous, which would have thrown Kelly off completely, if it wasn't for her sudden friendship with Tori, Shane and Dustin. As time progressed, she became closer to them, and even Shane seemed to finally warm up to her – even after her friend punched him in the face.

Kelly smiled to the customer as she handed him his change, and as he thanked her and left, her attention slid back to her employees as Dustin dumped a box in Hunter's arms, snickering to himself as he turned away, very aware that the taller teen was rolling his eyes. The red-head grinned to herself at his obvious displeasure as a stock boy, but she didn't feel guilty, considering he and his brother had left her high and dry.

That had confirmed Kelly's suspicions over their true identities. Hunter and Blake had shown up only a few days before the Thunder Rangers started their vendetta against the other four, and no sooner did they disappear, did Hunter and Blake leave town. Then, when they returned, the Thunder Rangers did too, and Hunter and Blake became friends with the other four.

Kelly watched the two brothers interact with the rest of the employees, still smiling. While Hunter was quiet and, as the others like to tell him, brooding, Blake was much more friendly and open with everyone, and helped his brother to relax. But unlike the original three, and Ari most of the time, they did seem more likely to be Power Rangers. They were strong, and radiated the power they possessed, even if most of the time they didn't exactly act like superheroes.

Then there was Zoe. The pretty girl was sitting on the seats, examining the new caving gear she had bought with an excited look in her eyes. It had taken Kelly all of two seconds to figure out who she was. When an alien attacked, carrying a strange ball, only the Gold Ranger had shown up to fight him, and had been saved by the mysterious Silver Ranger. Tough and confident, Zoe was as graceful during everyday life, as she was during the fierce battles that she dominated.

Zoe looked up, adjusting her glasses before rolling her eyes as Hunter and Ari's playful bickering echoed around again. Kelly had to admit, the shop was getting livelier everyday thanks to her employees, and their friends. The red-head looked to Cam next, who was sitting near Zoe talking away to Tori and Shane. Initially shy and quite sarcastic, Cam seemed to have opened up as well thanks to his friends. His true identity was the one that Kelly had no doubt about. Despite his shy and almost nervous attitude, Cam carried himself like the Samurai Ranger he was. Sometimes – Kelly knew it was an instinctive habit – he would place a hand on his side where his sabre would have been.

The owner of the small but popular extreme sports shop smiled as she watched the group of teenagers interact with each other. They behaved like regular kids, as they should have. Her smile faltered very slightly. They were kids. Fighting in such dangerous battles wasn't something they should have to do. They should be enjoying their lives without worrying about the next battle and the next threat that would undoubtedly come. But at the same time, they were succeeding fighting off Lothor and his alien army that would have destroyed the city already if it wasn't for them.

Kelly was snapped from her thoughts by the loud beeping that always signalled their rushed exit. No sooner had she looked to her employees and the others, did she find them rushing from Storm Chargers, calling out excuses and apologies. She couldn't stop the rush of annoyance that filled her as she realised they were leaving her to run her busy shop along for the next few hours, _again_. But as they disappeared, Kelly just sighed heavily and returned to serving customers.

She knew if she told them, they'd worry about her getting involved, so she had decided to keep quiet about it the moment she had figured it out. Maybe someday when they were done, she'd tell them, but for now she decided to just play the annoyed but incredibly forgiving boss. Glancing down at the papers behind her desk, Kelly pushed them closer underneath, smiling again as she pictured Dustin's face when she told him that she planned on sponsoring him to freestyle at the US Action Games.

Kelly had to admit, even now with the undeniable facts in front of her, the idea that the Power Rangers worked for her in her precious shop, was funny. For now, she'd stand back and watch as they did what they were destined to do, and help them to enjoy life outside of their Ranger activities. That was the least she could do for those who were protecting the world.

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**I really wanted to put in Kelly's thoughts and view on the Ninja Storm Rangers working for her, so I hope I did it justice. Since mentioning briefly in Dino Thunder: Jurassic Sun, that she knew, I really wanted to go back and write about it.**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Let me know what you think!**


	3. Little Sister

**This is going to be the last one in Ninja Storm for now, in the future I may post more, but for now they're going to be in a linear order, unless I think of more.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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**Lothor has been defeated and it's time for Ari to leave Blue Bay Harbour to return to Briarwood.**

**Set during Storm Before the Calm, just before graduation.**

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Little Sister

Cam stood at the door to Ari's room, his fist raised to knock on the door. Hearing her moving around, packing her clothes and what she had picked up over the year, he hesitated. Cam was surprised that she had picked up so much stuff, mostly skateboarding gear.

The Samurai sighed, lowering his hand. He'd known the whole time that Ari's stay in Blue Bay Harbour was only temporary, but that hadn't stopped him from growing attached to her presence in not only the town, but at home too. Over that year, Ari had stuck up for him and believed in his wish to become a Power Ranger as well. She had been like a little sister to him, and he had been grateful for the company, and her encouragement.

Cam was snapped from his thoughts as suddenly, Ari opened the door and looked up at him. Despite her age, she was almost the same height as Cam, and wore a bright smile.

"What's up Cam? I've heard you moving about out here for a while," she grinned at him.

"Sorry. Do you need any help packing?" Cam asked, feeling his face burn at her teasing.

"I'm almost done. Just some clothes left and my board," Ari gestured to the skateboard that was resting against the wall beside the door. "Gotta leave some stuff out for tomorrow," she added, her voice growing quiet.

"Nervous?" Cam asked with a smile. Not that he blamed her if she was. Lothor was gone, and the Ninjas had been rescued, and Sensei had decided that for everything they had done over the last year, they should be able to graduate.

"Nah," Ari shrugged, turning away and walking into the room. She gestured for Cam to come in, and took a seat at the desk that she had used to work on her studies. Cam could see the bruises that lined her arms and legs, as well as her face, from the final battle that had only taken place two days ago. And despite how exhausted they had all been, neither Ari nor Cam had been able to sleep much. He knew that she wouldn't admit it, but Ari was having as bad nightmares as he was. The dark circles under her eyes gave that away. "I have to go home after the graduation," she reminded him.

"I know," Cam nodded, sitting down on the bed. "But you know, you're always welcome back here anytime," he told her, and Ari smiled.

"Thanks Cam. But it's never gonna be the same," Ari leaned back on her seat. "I'll miss this place a lot. I mean, I miss Briarwood too, but I'm gonna miss hanging out with you guys everyday," she told the Samurai.

"Even Shane?" Cam asked with an amused smile, and Ari laughed.

"Even Shane," she admitted with a nod.

"We'll miss you too Ari," Cam told her, and Ari smiled at him, before standing up.

"Hey, let's go into the city," she decided, smiling at him. Knowing that if he didn't, he'd just be working on repairing the damage done to Ninja Ops, Cam nodded.

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Ever since she had shown up in Blue Bay Harbour, scared and a bit of a crybaby – not that that had changed – Cam had known there was more to her than a scared kid. He knew that despite her age, she was the perfect choice for the Gold Ranger powers. More so than Shane, Tori and Dustin had been when they had started.

He watched as Dustin carried the laughing girl on his back, laughing as much as she was as they walked along the beach. The rest of the Rangers – no, not Rangers, just regular teenagers now, Cam thought – had met them in town. All of them had decided to take this day as a relaxation day. No threat of monsters attacking, just a pleasant day on the beach, with none of them talking about the next day, when they'd decide on their future, and Ari would return home.

Except than Dustin and Ari, however, the others were a little quieter than usual. Even though none of them mentioned it, they were all thinking about the next day. It was going to be a lot quieter after graduation, Cam knew it. Ari, Zoe, Hunter and Blake would all be leaving. Their Academies were in different cities, and while the Thunder Academy was close by, it wasn't the same.

Dustin suddenly began to run, and Ari clung to his back for dear life, squealing with laughter as the others watched, shaking their head at the pair.

"You wanna go for a swim?" Dustin called over his shoulder to Ari.

"No!" she shrieked, her grip on him tightening. "If you try it, you'll go down with me!" she warned, still laughing as he grinned. The Earth Ninja knew that the others felt the same as he did. They were going to miss their little sister. Even Kelly had admitted that she was going to miss her.

"You sure?" Dustin edged closer to the water, and felt Ari's grip tighten on him. As he laughed, he felt someone shove him hard, and both cried out as they fell into the water.

"Cold!" Ari squealed as the cold water soaked through their clothes. She staggered as she got to her feet, and Dustin overbalanced, grabbing her and pulling her back in as they both cried out. Zoe was doubled over laughing at them from the tide, her glasses sliding down her face.

"Not cool dude!" Dustin groaned as sea water dripped down his face from his sodden curls.

"Maybe not, but it's definitely hilarious!" Zoe continued to laugh, until Hunter caught her around the waist and lifted her into the air. "Don't you dare!" she gasped, but he just smirked and tossed her into the water, narrowly missing Ari and causing a small wave to go over her and Dustin. "Oh, you are dead!" Zoe burst out of the water and launched at her boyfriend. He made to dodge, only for Blake and Tori to grab him and shove him into Zoe. Surprised, neither could stop it, and both went crashing into the water, causing more waves to go over Ari and Dustin and knock them back down into the water.

"Oh come on!" Ari whined as the rest of the group laughed hard at the four in the sea. "You guys suck," she spat out more salt water before she started to laugh as well. Soon, even Dustin, Zoe and Hunter were laughing as well. Ari knew she'd miss seeing them everyday, but she knew that it wasn't the end for any of them.

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**This really changed from how I initially planned on writing it, but I like how it went in the end. I was initially going to mention Reefside, then I remembered I set this before the graduation so she doesn't know about it yet!**

**I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think!**

**Please review!**


	4. Someone to Protect

**So I would have had this posted about an hour ago, but Open Office decided to be a complete prick and crash just as I went to save it. Luckily I'd written it by hand before typing it up, all that I had to do was remember the changes I made...which I think I did a decent job with!**

**Enjoy!**

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**Not long before she leaves for Reefside, Ari meets the newest member of her family.**

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Someone to Protect

Ari was never very keen on hospitals. They stank of bleach, there were always people rushing about looking stressed or panicked, and it brought back painful and uncomfortable memories of when she had broken her leg when she was young.

Standing in the maternity ward, Ari found that her dislike of hospitals had not disappeared. If anything, it had gotten worse. Screams of women in labour kept setting the girl on edge, making her jump up and prepare for a fight against Lothor's latest alien goon. Even though it had been almost two months since Lothor had been defeated, she hadn't been able to stop herself reacting to every slight thing. Her reactions had been honed to an entirely new level.

"You can go in if you want," Ari was snapped from her thoughts as the nurse approached her with a friendly smile.

"Oh, thanks," Ari smiled back, and followed the nurse into the room that was filled with cribs with newborn babies inside. While the rest of her family was with Hannah, Ari had been sent down to meet her new niece, and Joe would be coming down in a few minutes to join her. Having been out at the skate-park with Xander, Ari had returned home late to hear that Hannah had given birth to her daughter, and was now the only one who hadn't met her.

"She's over here," the nurse led Ari to where Krista was, before leaving her alone. Ari peered into the crib with a raised eyebrow, not expecting much. She had never cared much for babies, having been surrounded by them in the Briarwood orphanage for so long.

But the moment Krista looked up at her with her bright blue eyes, Ari forgot all about the wailing children in her past. She'd never believed in an instant attachment to anything – except maybe her skateboard – nor love at first sight. After all, the first time she'd met Joe, she'd bitten him. And now she adored her big brother to bits. But when the newborn baby stared up at her, with just one single tuft of blonde hair on her head, Ari felt an instant attachment to her niece.

"Hey there," Ari smiled as she leaned lightly on the side of the crib. "I'm Ari, your younger, and might I add, way cooler aunt," she told Krista with a wide grin. The newborn baby made a soft gurgling sound, wiggling a little. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked in a hushed voice, giggling a little. "I'm a Ninja. That's kind of the reason why I'm way cooler than your other aunt," she explained with a grin.

Glancing around to ensure that nobody else other than the babies were around, Ari looked back down at Krista. "Of course, your other aunt is Jessie, so it's a given that I'm cooler," Ari winked at her. "Since you can't really tell anyone, I guess I can tell you another reason why I'm the best aunt. I'm a Power Ranger. Well, I was, until like two months ago when an evil space Ninja stole my powers," she whispered, and Krista just kept watching her. "Of course, you wouldn't know what a Power Ranger is. But I helped save the world," Ari told her proudly.

Aware that Joe would be down soon, and that the nurse might walk in at any point, Ari sighed and looked around again. "I'm not gonna be around much for the next year. My Sensei is making me go to school in Reefside, and after a year in Blue Bay Harbour fighting evil, it's gonna be so _boring_. I'm really gonna miss being back in Briarwood. And I'm gonna miss Xander, but don't tell him I said that," Ari giggled, reaching in and brushing Krista's hand with her finger.

One of the other babies gurgled, and Ari looked up quickly, tensing for a fight. She then groaned, shaking her head at how jumpy she was. Of course, she had been captured and imprisoned on a self-destructing ship. It was only natural that she still had some issues to work out. "You'll never have to worry about being captured or anything Krista. Not about aliens – which are real by the way – or monsters threatening to destroy the world. Plus, your dad will chase away any boys, just like he did with Jessie. That's a good thing, cause boys are really gross. Except for Xander and Chip. They're cool. And Cam too, he's the best," Ari smiled widely at Krista. "I suppose I should count Shane, Dustin, Hunter and Blake. They're ok. But – I'm rambling," Ari stopped as she realised what she was doing, and laughed.

Krista wiggled around, but didn't take her eyes off Ari as she continued to talk to her. "But you don't need to worry, cause I'll protect you from the evil out there," Ari promised her niece in a soft voice. Krista looked down at Ari's finger, and wrapped her tiny hand around it. Ari smiled as she felt her protective instinct well up. "Plus, when you're old enough, I'll teach you to skateboard, even though your mum will totally kill me for it. And you can totally become a Ninja! Your dad knows all about the Academies," Ari told her, and Krista gurgled again. "He's pretty cool, your dad. He scared off these kids who were picking on me for not looking anything like the rest of our family. Not that you'll ever have to worry about that kinda thing. I mean look at you, you're identical to your dad," she told her niece with a grin.

"She likes you," Joe commented as he walked up to them, wrapping an arm around his sister as she up in surprise.

"I'm totally gonna be her favourite," she told him, making the tired new dad laugh gently. "Well, when I get back from Reefside. Jessie's totally gonna have the advantage," she complained.

"Ari, you'll be back in less than a year. She won't remember it at all," Joe rolled his eyes at her dramatics. "And just so you know, if you let her near a skateboard before she's at least 18, Hannah will slaughter you," he warned, and Ari smiled innocently.

"You're the one who got me my first skateboard, I'm only going to be repaying the favour," she told him with a shrug.

"No," Joe told her flatly, letting her go. Ari pouted at him, looking hurt. "Do you want to hold her?" he asked, and Ari blanched. The blonde young man started to laugh at her. "Honestly, you've saved the world and faced some serious evil, yet you're scared to hold a baby?" he challenged her.

"I'm not scared!" Ari told him as she blushed. "I just...don't want to break her," she mumbled. Joe continued to laugh, and lifted Krista up. He then passed her to the nervous 16 year old, helping to show her how to support her, before stepping back.

"You're a natural," Joe smiled as he watched her stare down at the infant in her arms.

"That may be but still...I don't want to break her," Ari grumbled, but was smiling down at her niece. Shaking his head as he continued to laugh at her, Joe reached out and lifted Krista from her. However, as soon as he did, the newborn's eyes shot open again, and she began to scream. It set off the other babies, who began to wail in a painful harmony.

"Oh my god I broke her!" Joe panicked, and placed her back in Ari's grip. Instantly Krista settled down again, closing her eyes and letting out a soft sigh. The nurse ran in and began to try and calm the other babies, shooting the two standing there a dirty look as they looked down at Krista, before looking up at each other.

"Looks like I'm already her favourite," Ari smirked at Joe, who instantly began to laugh. He put a hand to his face as his shoulders shook and he tried to calm down, but all that he succeeded in doing was make Ari start to laugh as well.

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**I don't have very many oneshot ideas planned for Dino Thunder, but I have at least seven planned for Mystic Force already.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review!**


	5. Underestimated

**This is one part that I really wanted to incorporate into this story. While Ari is young for a Ranger both in Ninja Storm: Power of the Sun, and Dino Thunder: The Jurassic Sun, she is also young for a Senior student in Reefside High. So not only those who know she's a Ranger would underestimate her. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

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**Rangers aren't the only ones who believe that Ari is in over her head, but this substitute teacher is in for one hell of a surprise.**

**Set before The Missing Bone**

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Underestimated

The sound of wheels rolling along the ground filled the air as Ari skated towards school. Training had gone on later than she had expected, having lost track of time trying to clear her mind of the threats that both Mesogog and Trent were currently presenting in Reefside. The bell had rung as soon as she had reached the school grounds, and she kicked her board up into her hands as she jogged towards the building.

Finally reaching her classroom, Ari opened the door and tried to reach her seat without distracting the teacher from his lesson.

"Excuse me?" Ari turned around as the man cleared his throat. She hadn't seen him before, making him the latest in the line of substitute teachers that had covered Doctor Oliver's class while he remained stuck in a permanent morph. "Can I help you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He was an older man with grey hair, and dark eyes that peered out from behind thick glasses suspiciously at the girl with a skateboard in her arms and a helmet still on her head.

"I uh...was just going to my seat," Ari gestured to the empty seat beside Kira. The Yellow Ranger had her head down, trying not to laugh.

"You must be mistaken," the man told Ari slowly. She raised an eyebrow. "This is a Senior class," he explained in the same slow voice, as if he was talking to a small child.

"I know," Ari took another step towards her seat, and the man breathed out through his nose as if growing impatient.

"Uh, sir?" deciding to help Ari out, Ethan raised his hand. "She's in this class," he told the man, who turned to him, looking baffled.

"But-"

"My name's on the attendance sheet," Ari told him as she finally reached her seat. The man breathed heavily again, and turned to the desk, where he had left the sheet of paper. Only one name had been marked absent. "Ari Raynes, that's me!" she smiled innocently as he lifted the paper. Connor, Kira and Ethan were trying and failing to hide their laughter.

"Just...put away that skateboard, and pay attention," he sighed, shaking his head and changing the mark of absence. Connor leaned over to whisper to the Gold Ranger as she set her notebook on the table.

"Dude, you've confused him so much he didn't even think about giving you detention," he whispered.

"Thank god, if I get any more detentions, you'll be needing a replacement Gold Ranger, cause Sensei Sugiura and my dad would kill me," Ari whispered back, grinning widely. Mr. Ramsey cleared his throat loudly, and the two looked back down at their books.

Mr. Ramsey was in the middle of talking about herbivores when he looked to Ari's table again. Much to his frustration, the girl who he did not believe should have been in the class, was fast asleep. Not even in a subtle manner, but simply hunched over the desk, her head in her arms and her face hidden from view.

Everyone looked up as the man stopped talking, and walked over to the sleeping Ninja. Connor and Ethan exchanged looks, and as Mr. Ramsey approached and stood beside Ari, the girl suddenly sat up quickly, as if she hadn't been sleeping for the majority of the class.

"Is something wrong?" she looked up at him innocently, but as he went to speak and accuse her of sleeping, the bell rang and everyone immediately leapt to their feet, grabbing their bags and shuffling out.

"You lucked out there," Connor was laughing as they left the class, and the very confused teacher behind.

"It really helps to be a Ninja. Heightened senses of when an angry teacher is approaching helps a lot," Ari grinned deviously, and the other three laughed hard at her.

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The next day, Ari was on time for class, and was very aware of the suspicious glares that the substitute teacher was sending her way from the minute he walked in. As soon as the class had ended the previous day, he had gone to the other teachers, inquiring about the strange girl who had shown up late to his class. They had all told him the same thing. She had transferred from Briarwood, skipped two years, spent a year in Blue Bay Harbour being schooled there, and was now taking her final year in Reefside. They had told him that Ari was smart, smarter than a lot of those in that year, but didn't show it very often. Now that he could almost believe.

Mr Ramsey watched the strange 16 year old as he started up his class. Most of the time she just seemed to be deep in thought, and occasionally her gaze would turn to a very sullen looking boy who sat at the same table, seeming to become worried, and even a little afraid. She didn't seem to take very many notes, and she made it very obvious that she knew that he was watching her.

There was half an hour left in the class when the teacher finally looked away and continued the class, occasionally asking questions. By the time he thought to look to Ari again, the bell rang just as he realised that she had fallen asleep again. She left with her friends, and Mr Ramsey groaned loudly.

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The rest of the week passed with little problem, as even when he took his eyes off Ari, Mr Ramsey found that the girl remained awake and seemed to focus almost entirely on the class.

Until the day after a monster attack in town. Ari didn't pay much attention to his words, occasionally seeming to scribble down a word or two, then her eyes seemed to focus on the clock at the front of the class. Then, only 10 minutes into the class, she fell asleep again, and Mr Ramsey had finally had enough.

The entire class seemed to hold their breath as the irritable man approached Ari, whose head instantly lifted as she sensed him approaching her.

"Miss Raynes, I don't know how you've gone through your class this year, but I will not tolerate you falling asleep every time I take my eyes off you," he began as she looked around at him. "Clearly you are unable to cope with the workload of your final year. Your other teachers may say you're smart, but how can you learn anything if all you do in class is sleep and stare at the clock?" he asked, and his irritation grew as he noticed her eyes wander past him. "Miss Raynes, I would appreciate it if you would-"

"That's wrong," he stopped dead as she spoke softly, but with a surety that made him lose track of what he had been saying.

"What? What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"That," Ari pointed at the board. "The Plesiosaurus lived during the early part of the _Jurassic_ Period, not the _Triassic_ Period. Not only that, but the Plesiosaurus is a genus of the Plesiosaur, it is not the same thing," she told him. A couple of the students snickered as Mr Ramsey turned around to look at the board. With a frown, he stalked over to his desk, and flipped open a book.

"I think between us, someone who has a PHD in palaeontology would know..." he trailed off, and looked up at Ari, who looked innocent while the others around her tried badly to hide their laughter. "But I..." he looked back at the board, and down at the book. "Class dismissed," he spoke in a broken voice as he slumped down into his seat.

"But we've still got-"

"I said dismissed," Mr Ramsey snapped at Cassidy, and nobody else argued, quickly grabbing their things and leaving as Mr Ramsey lifted the paper and worked on finding a new job.

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**I will attempt to get another chapter of this written by tomorrow night, but unlike with the main storyline, I am not several chapters ahead, so if I get distracted with something else, I won't be able to update.**

**Hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you think!**

**Please review!**


	6. Regrets

**Trent may be good now, but he remembers what he did while evil, including scaring Ari and hurting Kira. Of course, he's not the first to have been turned evil, and he probably won't be the last.**

**Set after Fighting Spirit**

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Regrets

Skating through the park in Reefside, Ari was humming to herself, planning what she would do for the demo that was approaching. Heading back to town to get some food in Hayley's Cyberspace, Ari almost didn't notice Trent sitting on a bench nearby.

"Hey," caught up in what he was sketching, Trent didn't hear Ari approach, and jumped, dropping his book. Ari caught it, looking apologetic as she held it out. "Sorry," she apologised with a smile.

"It's ok," Trent sighed as he took his sketchbook back and closed it over. Ari's smile faded when she noticed his demeanour. Tilting her head, Ari then sat down beside the White Ranger, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Are...are you ok?" she asked him carefully. Trent sighed, and gave her a wry smile.

"That obvious huh?" Ari gave a small shrug, watching him curiously. "I've just...been thinking a lot," he admitted, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on his knees. "I remember all of it. My time as the White Ranger," he muttered.

"Ah," Ari nodded, removing her helmet as she leaned back.

"I just...how could I have done that stuff?" he wondered softly.

"You didn't," Trent looked at her with a confused frown. "That wasn't you Trent, that was the evil that Mesogog filled the Dino Gem with," Ari insisted with a gentle smile. She moved so that she was sitting facing the White Ranger, her hands on her lap. "The real you is helping to stop him from destroying the world, remember?" she reminded him, and he gave a small smile.

"I guess...but I still did those horrible things. I scared you at the skate-park..." Ari's smile faltered as she remembered when Trent had approached her in the park, hinting to be after her powers. "And Kira!" he was a little louder as he thought at the Yellow Ranger. "I hurt her too..." he put his head in his hands. Ari was silent for a moment, before standing up.

"Come with me," she told him, and he looked up, confused.

"Where?" he didn't stand as he watched her.

"You'll see when we get there, so come on," Ari told him, kicking her skateboard into her hands. With a sigh, Trent stood up, lifting his book and following her out of the park.

1-2-3-4-5

"Why are we at Doctor O's place?" Trent frowned as they reached the house in the middle of the woods, and knocked on the door.

"Cause. I told him we were coming," Ari replied simply, and smiled at Doctor Oliver as he opened the door.

"Hey guys, come on in," the veteran Ranger led them in and down to the lab.

"Why am I here?" Trent was growing impatient with Ari's refusal to answer his simple question.

"Ari told me about what you said," Trent turned to glare at Ari, who just shrugged from her seat. "Look Trent," Doctor Oliver gave a small chuckle, and put a hand on Trent's back to steer him over to the seats. "You aren't the first Ranger who was evil," the Black Ranger told him as they sat down as well.

"Yeah, that title goes to Doctor O," Ari spoke up with a smile, and Trent's eyes widened as Doctor Oliver rolled his eyes at Ari's input.

"You were turned evil too?" Trent asked in disbelief.

"Yes, when I first became a Ranger," Doctor Oliver confirmed. "Rita Repulsa captured me and turned me into her evil Green Ranger. I caused a lot of trouble back then, and I hurt my friends," he was looking at the ground as he thought back to his time as the Green Ranger.

"That's why I thought you should talk to Doctor O," Ari told Trent softly. "Me, Connor, Kira and Ethan, none of us know anything about it. We don't know what you went through, and we probably never will," she admitted, her smile sad as she spun slightly on the seat.

"You should know Trent, that you're not the only one to go through this. Evil Rangers have shown up time and time again," Doctor Oliver continued on for the White Ranger. "Not just me and you. Ryan, the Titanium Ranger from the Lightspeed Rescue team, he was evil for a time. And before she became the Pink Ranger, my friend Katherine was under Rita's control as well," the Black Ranger told Trent.

"And Hunter and Blake as well, they were brainwashed into thinking we were their enemies as well last year," Ari added. Trent glanced to her, remembering that she had told him only a few days before that she had been a Ranger before.

"If you want to talk to someone other than us, I'm in contact with a lot of past teams," Doctor Oliver offered.

"And I can always get Hunter and Blake to come to Reefside sometime," Ari added.

"But the main thing is that you can't blame yourself for what happened when you were under the Gem's control," Doctor Oliver told Trent.

"But-"

"But nothing," the man told him sternly. "My friends wouldn't let me blame myself for what I did when I was being controlled, and I'm pretty certain that yours won't either," Doctor Oliver glanced to Ari, who nodded, looking determined. Trent couldn't help but laugh lightly.

"Thanks guys. I really appreciate it," he told them, but his smile wavered a little.

"And remember Trent, it's going to take time to recover from what happened. But the main thing to remember is that it isn't you. You're helping us stop the evil that's trying to destroy the world. That's not a spell you're under. You had to be brainwashed to become evil," Doctor Oliver stood up and placed a hand on Trent's shoulder. The White Ranger nodded. The computer then beeped suddenly, and they all looked around quickly.

"Let's put that to the test then," Trent pushed himself up, and the other two nodded, ready to fight off Mesogog's latest monster.

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**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Please review!**


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